A Book Review: “Love in Disguise” by Carol Cox

 

From the publisher’s website:

Can she solve the crime before they uncover her true identity?

Jobless and down to her last dime, Ellie Moore hears about a position with the Pinkerton Detective Agency and believes it's the perfect chance to put her acting skills and costumes to use. Reluctantly, the agency agrees to give her one assignment, one chance to prove herself. Disguised as Lavinia Stewart, a middle-aged widow, Ellie travels to Arizona to begin her investigation. When the need arises, she also transforms into the dazzling Jessie Monroe, whose vivacious personality encourages people to talk.

Mine owner Steven Pierce is going to lose his business if he can't figure out who's stealing his silver shipments. In his wildest dreams, he never expected to receive help from a gray-haired widow... or to fall in love with her beautiful niece.

Then the thieves come after Lavinia and Jessie. Ellie isn't safe no matter which character she plays! Should she give up and reveal her true identity? What will Steven do when he realizes the woman he's falling in love with doesn't really exist?

Set in 1880s Arizona, Love in Disguise blends romance, humor, and mystery for a can't-put-down read.

I received this book for free as a part of the Bethany House Book Review club. Unfortunately, I am a little on the slow side as a reader and this was a 348 page read! Add in an unexpected move at the end of this summer, I just finished reading this a few weeks ago :-)

I figured it would be easiest to give you 5 things I thought about this book and let you decide if it sounds like something you would pick up and read yourself:

1.     I thought that this Historical Fiction book got off to a bit of a slow start and didn’t really get exciting until around halfway through when Ellie’s first clues start rolling in.

2.     I thought that as a book touted as a Christian Historical Fiction piece, it could have dropped the Christian label as the story was not built around God and the Church. Although there were references and woven in, as Ellie is trying to find her true identity in the Wild West be it through her career or God, it was not the main theme in my opinion and it seemed a bit cheesy at times.

3.     I liked the romance that developed between Steven and Ellie, and would have liked to have seen more story involving it. If you are looking for a Historical Romance book, this is not it. I think a sequel to this book would be fun to read to see how Ellie’s life unfolds after this big win for her, and a new romance developing.

4.     The story got a bit confusing at times with a lot of names being given. If you do read this, take notes so you can refer to it throughout ;-)

5.     It took me a long time to get through in part because I am a slow reader, but also because it was not a book that I just couldn’t put down.

Conclusion, “Love in Disguise” is a nice read, but I would probably only give it a 3/5 star rating.